When was the final time you had been interested by one thing? While you had been so you misplaced monitor of time? In his guide, SEEK: How Curiosity Can Remodel Your Life and Change the World, curiosity professional Scott Shigeoka makes the case for adults studying easy methods to be extra curious. He says curiosity doesn’t simply make life extra gratifying; it deepens our connections with others, reduces our fears and anxiousness and reverses our society’s isolation. 

Individuals typically affiliate curiosity with youngsters, however Shigeoka says individuals get extra curious as they age. He additionally provides that curiosity shouldn’t be a hard and fast state; we’re all born with it—a muscle we will develop at any level in our lives. It’s by no means too late to construct and deepen our sense of curiosity. 

The three instructions of curiosity

“One of many huge misconceptions is that curiosity is barely an mental pursuit,” Shigeoka says, explaining that it sometimes goes in three instructions: outward, inward and past. Outward curiosity, which is commonly directed at others, is what we’re most aware of.

“Curiosity towards another person may also help you to grasp their values or tales, what they care about and that makes them really feel seen, heard and valued as an individual,” Shigeoka says. 

The second route, inward, is directed towards ourselves: “[It’s] getting interested by myself, my feelings, my emotions, what I worth in life, what relationships are serving me, which of them are harming me,” he says. 

The third route of curiosity is past, an curiosity in what lies exterior the bodily realm. It’s not essentially about spirituality.

“For some people, it could be consciousness or the spirit of interconnectedness and all life for others,” Shigeoka says. “Nevertheless it may very well be getting interested by your ancestors who’re not alive or about seven generations from now. What’s the world that they may inherit? And the way do our actions in the present day affect their lives of their world seven generations from now?”

We’re every naturally extra vulnerable to be curious in a single route, and Shigeoka recommends practising intentionality within the different route. Shigeoka says to start out inward when you’re uncertain the place to start out. 

“I all the time inform individuals to start out from inward curiosity, get actually curious and particularly get deeply interested by your self and your inside world,” Shigeoka says. “Ask your self questions that you just may ask different individuals. Really feel what that feels wish to be requested these sorts of questions or to discover these sorts of questions.”

Not solely are there a number of instructions our curiosity can take us, however there are additionally various depths of curiosity. Shigeoka says deep curiosity requires extra time and power however brings richer outcomes. For instance, you could possibly ask somebody their title, after which go even deeper and ask in regards to the story behind their title. 

The right way to be extra curious at work

Curiosity improves our on a regular basis life and makes our workplaces extra productive, artistic and collaborative. Shigeoka factors out that folks understand curious leaders as extra competent and reliable by their workers. 

“If you would like your workforce or group to consider in you and to really feel like ‘OK, I can belief this individual and I like this individual,’ it’s good to exemplify curiosity,” Shigeoka provides. He makes use of the DIVE mannequin to information leaders in curiosity audits with corporations and college workplaces. 

The right way to enhance curiosity: Use the DIVE mannequin

Detach: Let go of our assumptions, biases and certainties 

“In our tradition in the present day, we cling to our assumptions and biases of others, however these assumptions can truly push individuals away and make them really feel unseen. They are often unsuitable, they usually can result in battle,” Shigeoka says. “We’ve got to study to detach from certainty and truly sit within the discomfort of not realizing typically.”

Intent: Put together our mindset for curiosity

Shigeoka recommends not leaping straight into the conversations when diving into deep curiosity. As an alternative, think about your surroundings and setting, the questions you’re hoping to ask and alerts that you need to decelerate or cease.

Value: See the dignity of individuals, together with your self

As a result of there’s a lot polarization and dehumanizing language utilized in social media, Shigeoka says it may be simple to neglect the humanity of those that don’t consider the identical issues we do. 

“It’s so essential to start out from this place of recognizing the humanity of the person who you’re being curious with, remembering that curiosity doesn’t imply settlement,” Shigeoka says. 

Embrace: Welcome the arduous instances in our lives 

Shigeoka describes the embrace part as welcoming the arduous instances, which helps us entry deep curiosity as a result of we’re not sinking into concern or anxiousness. 

In high-conflict conditions, a tradition of curiosity permits groups to navigate tensions successfully as a result of they’ve fostered an surroundings the place everybody feels heard. We might discover a constructive ripple impact as we develop our curiosity muscle groups. Shigeoka says, “Should you’re curious, others will comply with swimsuit, particularly these you supervise, as a result of curiosity is contagious in that approach.”

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Iona Brannon is a contract journalist based mostly within the U.S. You possibly can learn extra of her work at ionabrannon.com.